One Half Of The World's Population, Approximately 3 Billion People On Six Continents, Lives Or Works In Buildings Constructed Of Earth

Piscina Municipal de Toro

Photo: Héctor Santos-Díez

Vier Arquitectos, comprised of Antonio Raya, Christopher Crespo, Santiago Sánchez and Enrique Antelo, are the designers a municipal swimming pool in Toro (Zamora), Spain. A unique quality of the facility is that its exterior walls have been constructed of rammed earth, a traditional technique updated on a contemporary building typology. 

Photo: Héctor Santos-Díez

The building, comprising three volumes, two for dressing and one more for the pool's, supporting thermal collectors used to heat the pool water and showers, and extra water from the cleaning process, which is stored in a reservoir and reused in irrigating the landscape. 

Photo: Héctor Santos-Díez

Low-energy materials were used throughout and the design for the pool receivedthe first prize for ex eaquo de Edificación Sostenible in Castilla y Leon in its first edition. 

Photo: Héctor Santos-Díez

Source:

http://www.eartharchitecture.org/index.php?/categories/3-Rammed-Earth